Culture and Arts Notebook

As February approaches, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) once again leads National Arts Month (NAM) 2026, rallying Filipinos under the theme “Ani ng Sining: Katotohanan at Giting.”* This year’s theme underscores the power of the arts…

17 January 2026, Quezon City.  Laboratory analyses detected lead above the legal limit of 90 parts per million (ppm) in three imported paints purchased by the EcoWaste Coalition from a local online seller, rendering them illegal for importation, distribution, and sale…

Amid an existential crisis in northeast India’s well-known media house, the Assam Tribune group of newspapers, which worsened after the Covid-19 pandemic, a popular Assamese weekly newspaper lost its publication in the latter part of 2025. Asom Bani, once a…

The art exhibit, DIALOGO, opened in Cloudgrey December 9, 2025 and is currently on display for all art lovers to see and experience. In this historic collaboration between two acclaimed contemporary artists, Manuel Ocampo and Ronald Ventura, something uncanny has…

by Zahida Islam Chhanda (Dhaka Bureau) Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government, stated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the traditional landscape of journalism. While the pace of work has increased, so has…

When I woke that morning, I craved Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), a chain I had not visited for many years in Japan.  As a graduate student living close to the campus, I had choices: “Shokudo” diner, train station food stall,…

It may be amazing, but true that the largest democracy on Earth continues waiting for a fully functioning government-sponsored media watchdog for more than a year now. Press Council of India (PCI), a quasi-judicial body, which was initiated to safeguard…

Parents urged to think P.L.A.Y. for developmentally-suited toys. 7 December 2025, Quezon City. Amid the Christmas rush, the EcoWaste Coalition echoed a child health advocate’s timely reminder to parents and godparents to pick non-toxic, age-appropriate toys, as well as to…

by George Banez The five-course lunch typical of Chinese restaurant fare in Manila foreshadowed the meals I scraped by the next ten days. My sister treated me to a send-off lunch before dropping me off at the airport that day. I…

On November 26, 2025, the Seoul Metropolitan Government awarded honorary citizenship to 17 foreign nationals from 16 countries in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the city. The ceremony, held at Seoul City Hall, was attended by Vice Mayor Kim…